Ancient Runes
by GalnKay
Summary: He loves her. She doesnt know it. Ancient Runes will bring them together.


Ancient Runes:

She was his drug. His life. His breath. His every dream. His every thought. Every waking minute of his bloody useless life, revolved around her.

How was he supposed to continue? How was he expected to concentrate? How was he expected to amount to anything school wise this year, when his main focus was on one thing?

He loved her. It wasnt puppy love. It wasnt a strong like. It wasnt pretend. It wasnt something he thought up in his head. It was as real as anything could ever be. It was the kind of thing that people read about in books, and watched in films. It was a joyous feeling, that could not compare to any other. He tracked her every move. Watching everything she did in the Great Hall at every meal, gazing her way as she sipped her drink and prodded her breakfast with her fork. Seeing her face light up when she laughed at something that Harry said, and seeing her eyes roll when Malfoy would say something snide, and when her nostrils would flare at Ron when he would be immature. Or maybe looking yearningly at the back of her pretty little head in Potions class, from his strategically placed seat directly diagonal to the right of her, one desk over, so that he could still see the side of her face. His eyes always followed her figure when she walked across the Common Room, her hips swaying enticingly as she ascended the stairs leading up to the Girl's Dormitory.

The few times he actually gathered up the nerve to strike up simple conversation with her, he asked her stupid things like what the Muggle Studies assignment was, or what did she think of Professor Trelawny's most recent lesson covering palm reading. She answered politely, thankfully either not picking up the nervousness in his demeanor or at least being considerate enough to ignore it. He really didnt understand why it was so hard to talk to her. He talked to other girls with ease. Why was she so special? Oh. Right. She was her.

He knew it must be creepy and a bit obsessive to watch her like he did, especially when everyone knew that it was Ron she really liked. For years Ron had been trying to find the courage to ask her out. For years Ronald Weasly had been too dim to see what was right in front of him, and to take advantage of it. But he had been watching as Ron passed up opportunity after opportunity. He never understood what was stopping the boy from just asking her out. Then, came the day when he too shared Ron's painful weakness. He could get any girl at the blasted school that he wanted. He was, after all, irresistibly suave. But he didnt even bother to notice those other girls who giggled whenever he walked by. He wanted her. He wanted the girl who didnt seem to acknowledge his existence. She was just a close friend. They had known each other for five years for God's sake. They had gone to school together for those five years, and now, with two years to go, he had only just begun to notice the goddess she actually was. No longer was she the prissy little thing that he had met first year. She had turned into a beautiful young lady, with elegance and class. Naturally, he wasnt the only boy to fall hard for her. First, came McClaggen, cornering her rudely in the Common Room and in the hallways. Then, came Fred Weasly, with whom she had had a brief affair. Next, there was Dean Thomas, who, ironically, was his best mate. And now, she had obviously given up on the Gryffindor boys and had moved on to Ravenclaw, and most recently, Hufflepuff.

Harry and Ron had no idea what they had. They would tease her, and the others would laugh along with them. They wouldnt say mean things, but sexual things. Things that were quite awful, and things that a girl like her would never do. He stuck up for her. Told them to lay off. To leave her alone. Harry was one of the only Gryffindor boys who actually wasnt attracted to the girl. Harry told his friends that she was like a sister to him, which was hard to believe considering all of the time they spent together, but everyone went with it.

His friends knew something was wrong. They realised he was acting strangely, and of course, they knew it had to be about a girl. They beame even more suspicious considering he never got riled up over any girl. They got riled up over him. So they suspected it must she must be someone special. Luckily, they had no idea that it was her. The constant badgering from their part did not help matters any more. No matter what they asked, he would not answer, but fold his brawny arms defiantly across his chest and mumble something angrily in Gaelic.

He wasnt stupid, though. He kept his feelings hidden from everybody except for her, because his friends would never let him live down the fact that he fancied her. A wink here and there, a light brush by, and it would ease him for a minute. Then the torture started again. The only reason he got away with these flirtations was because he was already known as the biggest flirt in Hogwarts. He did that to every girl. But for some reason, he felt an undying need for this one blasted girl. And one day, he came up with a plan. A brilliant, glorious, wonderful revelation. A revelation which put all other revelations in history to shame.

Yes, Seamus Finnegan had a mind-blowing epiphany: Hermione Granger was going to be his girl.

* * *

Seamus and Dean sat in their usual spots in the Gryffindor Common Room, watching an extremely competitive Wizard's Chess match between Ron and Harry. The fireplace was crackling pleasantly, keeping the students cozy from the frosty December weather outside. It was Friday night, and most of their fellow Gryffindors were congregated in the Common Room. Seamus was not paying attention to the game. His attention was focused on a certain Hermione Granger, who was sitting at a table in a secluded corner of the room, scribbling hurriedly on her piece of parchment, the black plume of her quill, moving along the writing surface with speed. The fire cast a lovely golden glow on her face, leaving Seamus to be infatuated with the sight before him. Ron, who was ahead at the moment, was smiling smugly across the small table at his competitor.

"Got you in three moves, mate." he said, cracking his knuckles loudly for effect. Harry groaned, and continued to look closely at the board for available moves. Ron turned to look as Dean was greeted by his current girlfriend, Padma Patil. As she walked away, Ron grinned.

"I dont know how you did it, Dean." he said, shaking his head.

"How I did what?" Dean asked.

"How you got one of the best looking girls in our year." Ron continued, eyeing Dean enviously.

"It's because Im," Dean paused to wink and pop his collar, "Irresistible."

"Whatever, mate." Ron said with a snort. They were interrupted by Harry.

"Your turn Ron." he said, after moving one of his black pieces. Ron turned back around, took one look at the board, and moved.

"Checkmate." he said, his eyes gleaming at Harry's loss. Then, he turned to face Seamus.

"Seriously. How does he get them like that?"

"Why ask meh?" asked Seamus, his attention snapping back to the conversation at hand. Ron shrugged.

"I dont know. Because every girl in our year seems to love you."

"Well, all you have to do is-" Seamus was cut short by Hermione, who plopped down on the couch beside Harry with a sigh. She handed him a neatly written on piece of parchment, the same she had just been writing on. Harry took it thankfully, looking it over once, a smile creeping slowly onto his lips.

"Your a lifesaver, Hermione." he said, looking up at her, giving her a one armed hug. She smiled tiredly.

"Yeah, well dont expect me to do anymore essays for you, Harry. You should learn to do them on your own." she said, grinning over at him. "Same for you Ronald."

"What? I have no idea what your talking about, Mione. You havent done my homework in a whole...two days." Ron said sarcastically. Hermione laughed.

"Who won the chess game?" she asked, changing the subject, and nodding over to the chessboard.

"Ron." Seamus answered her. She turned to look at him.

"Again? Did he play Harry?"

"Who else is there to play?" Seamus asked, shrugging.

"Speaking of games, dont you have a Quidditch game tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah, against Ravenclaw." Seamus replied, thrilled to be privileged with even a short flow of chatter with Hermione.

"You're Beater, arent you, Seamus?"

"Yeah. Yeh best be cheering for meh when theh game starts." he said, smoothly. To his surprise, Hermione blushed and smiled shyly. Before she could reply, Ginny Weasly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Come on, Mione." she said, pulling Hermione off the couch. She waved her goodbyes and good nights to her friends, leaving Seamus feeling quite ruffled up and proud of himself.

* * *

The next day was chilly. Frigid actually. So it was a surprise for Seamus to see Hermione sitting by herself outside under a drooping tree by the now frozen lake. She was reading a book of some sort, and by the looks of it, it was a long book. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, the rest of her body bundled tightly in a jacket and scarf, her breath coming out in white little puffs, the condensation hanging in the winter air. Her gloved hand turned a page, and her face bore an expression of interest and concentration. Seamus took a deep breath, and walked over to her, his footsteps crunching in the thick blanket of snow. She looked up upon hearing the noise. She smiled.

"Hello, Seamus." she said, turning back to her book. Seamus grinned.

"Hello, yerself. Mind if I join ye?" he asked. She shook her head, still engrossed in the words written on the pages before her. He slid down the trunk of the tree until he reached the ground in a sitting position. They were both silent for a moment.

"What are yeh readin'?" he asked, looking down at the book. Hermione looked up, and tilted the book to an angle that he could see better. Seamus used this as an excuse to move closer to her.

"A book on Ancient Runes that I found in the library." she said.

"It looks confusing." Seamus commented, tilting his head at the words and symbols on the page. She laughed.

"No, not really. See, this symbol," she pointed to a curved line, "Means harvest. This one," she pointed to a crescent shape, "Means moon. And this," she showed him a picture of a square with a broken line inside of it, "Means disappointment or tragedy. Now try and put it together."

"Hmm. Im guessing bad harvests?" Seamus said, questioning himself. Hermione beamed, her cheeks, rosy from the cold, turning up into a smile.

"Yeah! See, it's not that hard, all you have to do is piece everything together." she explained. Seamus nodded in understanding. She really was brilliant. He was mesmerized as she reached up to brush away a strand of honey colored hair which had escaped from under her purple woolen hat. His breathing had become heavy, his lips parted slightly, dazed from being in such close proximity to her. She took notice of his sudden silence, and glanced over at him. He turned his head away quickly, choosing instead to stare intently at the blinding white snow. Hermione shivered, clearly trying hard to keep her teeth from chattering. Seamus looked at her.

"Yeh cold?" he asked. She shrugged it off.

"Im fine. Really." she said, failing to keep the chatter out of her voice. Seamus smirked.

"Do yeh want me coat?" he asked, raising his eyebrows knowingly, already beginning to remove his heavy jacket. Hermione nodded, giving in, taking the jacket from him, and wrapping it around her slim frame. Seamus took in how attractively thin her body was. Her curves were in all the right places, which were enhanced by the fact that she was quite well endowed. Seamus made a mental note never to wash that jacket again.

"Thanks." she said, wrapping it even tighter around her body, while turning a page in the Runes book. Seamus began to shiver from the fact of being without his jacket in the cold. Hermione noticed.

"I dont want you to be cold, Seamus." she said, suddenly concerned. Seamus brushed her comment aside. Hermione closed the book and began to rise. Seamus jumped up right after her.

"Yeh leavin'?" he asked, running a hand through his already messy enough ebony hair. Hermione gave him a bemused smile.

"Yeah, I think Im going to go down to the kitchen's and get some hot chocolate." she said, starting to walk back to the castle Seamus jogged to catch up with her, grabbing her elbow softy to get Hermione's attention. She spun around.

"Wait." He heard himself say. He felt intoxicated by her closeness. Seamus felt a sudden surge of desperation rush through his body. He gripped her arm tighter. Hermione looked at him with a confused expression on her face. Seamus swallowed hard. She placed her hand softly on his shoulder.

"Seamus, are you okay?" she asked kindly. He shook his head. She frowned.

"Seamus...?"

"I cant handle it anymore." he whispered. She tilted her head at him. He sighed. He cupped her cheek with his hand, and brushed some snow off of her cheek with the rough pad of his thumb. Hermione gasped. Seamus gave her a small, sad smile. He swiftly closed the space between them, pressing his lips with hers, pulling them apart again, then repeating. After a few seconds, he pulled away.

"Yeh can keep the jacket." he said, clearing his throat. He walked back up to the castle, leaving Hermione standing in the snow, wrapped up in his jacket, feeling strangely warm despite the cold weather.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this! It was fun to write. So please review!**

**KAY:)**


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